Abstract: Process attributes such as, for example, the identification of process elements, the characteristics of process elements, and the states of the variables produced by the process elements, are displayed substantially simultaneous with a graphical representation of a process under control. After displaying a graphical representation of a process being controlled (the graphical representation including icon representations of process elements), a user selects a portion of the graphical representation for which the underlying process attributes are to be displayed. This selection may be accomplished by selecting an icon image of a process element for which the attributes are to be displayed. After selection, the underlying attributes are displayed substantially simultaneously with the display of the graphical representation, for example, by overlaying a dialogue box on top of the graphical representation containing indicia of the underlying attributes.

Abstract: Sticky back notes may be designed in a region displayed by a monitor of a data processing system. The region may be window which contains a layout area, a note design area, and a sample area. The layout area may have a plurality of note cells, wherein each note cell corresponds to a note to be designed and printed on a sheet of sticky back notes. The note design area is an area where a note may be designed. The sample area contains a sample note which may be imported to the note design area and/or to a note cell of the layout area during the design of notes to be printed on the sheet of sticky back notes.

Abstract: A user may input a motion as a query condition to a motion picture database to retrieve one or more motion picture segments (i.e., motion picture scenes) in which an object moves with a matching motion. A motion information database is built of motion vector sequences extracted from stored motion pictures. A motion is inputted as a query by moving a pointing device, such as a mouse, in a desired motion sequence, rather than as a query expressed in words or as a formula. The inputted motion sequence of the pointing device is converted to a motion vector sequence and compared with stored motion vector sequences to retrieve one or more scenes in which an object moves with a matching motion.

Abstract: A database system with methodology providing "live" views of a database is described. In response to a user request (e.g., query) to display information from the database according to user-specified criteria, the system registers and displays a view (e.g., user-designed form and/or report); multiple views may be opened in this manner. In response to receiving one or more modifications to information stored in the database, the system employs incremental queries to maintain the "liveness" of the views. In particular, each registered view is notified of the modification (i.e., specific modified data records) and undertakes to apply the user-specified criteria for the particular view only against the modification.

Abstract: Tomographic process for the reconstruction of three-dimensional images of an object such as the heart or another organ on the basis of sets of measurements relative to a group of different states of the object. An approximate image of the object in each state (f) is reconstituted on the basis of associated measurements and the movements of said object from a reference state to each of the states are evaluated (D.sub.k). The estimation of the image of the object at the reference state (f.sub.0) is obtained by a convergence towards the real image by gradually incorporating in the estimated image information relative to the measurements and to the previously calculated movements of the object.

Abstract: High speed, perspective correct texture mapping is performed by identifying lines of constant depth in a polygon and repeatedly subdividing the polygon along lines of constant depth to produce subpolygons having a maximum mapping error which is less than a predetermined maximum mapping error, preferably less than one pixel. Subdivision may be performed using a "Check/Subdivide/Check" embodiment or a "Predictive Subdivision" embodiment. In Check/Subdivide/Check, a greatest mapping error for a polygon is determined, and if the mapping error is greater than a predetermined mapping error, the polygon is further subdivided. In Predictive Subdivision, a polygon is subdivided into subpolygons which are sufficiently small to ensure that maximum texture mapping error is less than a predetermined mapping error, so that repeated checking and subdividing is not necessary.

Abstract: A free-form surface generating method. There is a generating of a continuity condition by detecting a continuity on a common boundary of two free-form surfaces based on tangent vectors on a NURBS common boundary curve and tangent vectors on boundary curves continuous to end points of the NURBS common boundary curve. Next, one of a plurality of predetermined joining processes is selected in accordance with the continuity condition. Then, internal control points of each of the two free-form surfaces are generated based on the selected joined with continuity on the common boundary are generated.

Abstract: An image synthesizing system is provided which can output a high-quality image in real time through the texture mapping without preventing the hardware from being increased in speed and reduced in scale. A 3-D image is formed by a game space processing unit (13) and image supply unit (10) to perform a 3-D computation. At a processor unit (30), coordinates for each dot in a polygon and the corresponding texture coordinates are determined. A field buffer unit (40) stores the texture coordinates at an address specified by the coordinates for each dot. A texture data storage unit (42) has stored a rendering data. The texture coordinates are read out from the field buffer unit (40) and then used to read out the rendering data from the texture coordinate storage unit (42) to synthesize and output a pseudo 3-D image. By thus storing the texture coordinates in the field buffer unit (40), the subsampling/interpolation and the like may be carried out.

Abstract: A process for producing digital color composite images by using digital images produced with a digital camera or from color positive or negative film which have be digitized using a film scanner and subsequently assembling the resulting digital positive and negative images using computergraphics software. These digital composite images when printed, projected or otherwise outputted are useful in the creation and production of artwork for cinematography, graphic arts, signs, advertising, book and magazine illustration, computergraphics, photographic prints as well as photomechanical reproduction such as offset lithography or silkscreen printing.

Abstract: A document processing apparatus for easily editing a table includes: an input device to input data corresponding to the number of ruled lines to be displayed; position indicating device for indicating a position on a display screen; a display which can display grids on the display screen at regular intervals; an arithmetic computing circuit to arithmetically compute a line interval between a plurality of ruled lines on the basis of the number data which is input from the input device and the position indicated by the position indicating device; and a display controller for controlling the display so as to display the plurality of ruled lines at regular intervals in correspondence to the display positions of the grids on the basis of the result of the arithmetic computation from the arithmetic operating circuit and an interval between the grids. With this apparatus, ruled lines can be drawn or edited by simple operations without exerting any influence on the other cells or lines.

Abstract: The graphics applications of a 2-D graphics computer system provide each object to be rendered on a 2-D raster display with a pair of rendering reference coordinates (x and y), and a relative depth value (z). Additionally, the computer system is provided with a library of predetermined 2-D images and sounds, and a number of graphics toolkit routines. As the user "moves", the graphics toolkit routines render selected ones of the predetermined images based on x/z and y/z values of recomputed x and y rendering coordinates and the relative depth value z of the objects, and actuate the sounds if applicable based on their predetermined manners of rendering. As a result, the objects that are further away from the user will move slower than the objects that are closer to the user, thereby introducing the effect of parallax and added realism to the 2-D graphics computer system at a substantially lower cost.

Abstract: A method of creating image palm prints is provided that comprises storing image data as a metafile within a clipboard storage facility (20). The metafile is then transferred to a memory device context (18). A portion of the image is then extracted using a boundary scan to discard background image data. The image is then converted into a device independent bit map and the device independent bit map is compressed to a predetermined size. The image palm print is then created by associating the compressed device independent bit map with the dimension data and palette information.

Abstract: A method and system for providing a substitute font that visually approximates a selected font that is unavailable in a computer system is provided. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the method and system first selects as the substitute font a font that is available in the computer system. The method and system then adjusts the overall widths of the characters of the substitute font to match the overall widths of the corresponding characters of the selected font. This causes the same combinations of characters of the substitute font and of the selected font to have substantially the same size and appearance. The method and system then makes the substitute font available to a program that has requested the selected font.

Abstract: A method for displaying drawings with a CAD system. The CAD system includes a drawing storage unit which stores a plurality of drawings, a display apparatus and a display control unit which causes a respective drawing to be retrieved from the drawing storage unit and displayed on the display apparatus. Each drawing stored in the drawing storage unit includes at least one graphic form, there being a plurality of different types of graphic forms and predetermined reduction rules correspond, respectively, to each type of graphic form. The method includes the steps of (a) reading a respective drawing from the drawing storage unit; (b) storing the respective drawing in the display control unit; (c) reducing each graphic form of the drawing in accordance with the reduction rules corresponding to the respective graphic form; and (d) displaying the respective drawing on the display apparatus with the graphic forms of the drawing being reduced in accordance with the corresponding reduction rules.

Abstract: The animation display controller to interpret a scenario description managed by a scenario description manager. According to the interpretation, it reads an animation display unit from an animation display unit manager and displays time series data of animation display units through a plurality of windows opened on a display. As a result, related animation images are displayed on the display in the multiple window format. The animation display controller also performs a backward process of animation display units included in transit-in-time-series at a user's request according to managing data input unit, a user can edit an animation display unit managed by the animation display unit manager and a scenario description managed by the scenario description manager. Specifically, the scenario description editor graphically edits scenario descriptions.

Abstract: A method of drawing a three-dimensional object in a CAD system, which allows the operator to use two-dimensional drawing techniques. The CAD display screen has three view windows for showing a top, front, and side views. The operator draws a figure in one of the view windows and then defines a first geometry point in the next view window by using a cross-hair cursor running across the two adjacent view windows. The use of the cursor gives some constraint to the selection of the first geometry point with respect to the first graphic element. Next, the operator defines a second geometry point also using the cross-hair cursor for constraint, thus creating a second graphic element from the first and second geometry points. Based on the first and second graphic element, a third graphic element is automatically generated and displayed in still another view window.

Abstract: In the system of the present invention an individual displayed pixel is a weighted combination of a video pixel and a graphics pixel. For example, a pixel displayed on a monitor may be three-quarters graphics and one-quarter video. In this system a color lookup table providing a red, a green and a blue lookup table output value is extended to provide a further lookup table output value. The further lookup table output value is a weight value representative of the relative weights of a video pixel and a corresponding graphics pixel. The weight value is applied to a matrix multiplier which also receives video pixel information and graphics pixel information. The matrix multiplier determines a weighted combination of the video and graphics pixel information according to the weight value to provide a blended pixel. A YUV standard to RGB standard conversion matrix is provided within in order to receive video signals in a YUV format and apply the video signals to the matrix multiplier in an RGB format.

Abstract: In an interactive editing apparatus, a three-dimensional object to be edited is a set of polygonal surfaces which are arranged in a three-dimensional space and have the same number of sides. These polygonal surfaces are arranged on the three-dimensional space to display on a perspective view, the sides of the polygonal surfaces are linearly enveloped to express a polygonal three-dimensional object. When a user edits any one of vertex positions, data regarding the edited vertex and associated other vertex positions are updated. Further in the interactive editing apparatus, data regarding vertexes and faces of the object are managed using data cells, and shape data before the last editing are stored in the data cells together with present shape data, whereby an undo function is realized.

Abstract: Images for non-planar display systems are generated using polygon definitions that are pre-distorted using panel shear transforms. Initially, panel shear transforms are generated based on the configuration and orientation of a screen, a projector and a viewer. Polygons defined in model space are mapped to a two-dimensional space and then transformed to a panel space using the panel shear transforms. This transformation technique enables the use of standard two-dimensional rendering processes to scan-convert the polygons.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for generating an illustration having the steps of inputting a plurality of strokes in an area having a designated dimension, assigning a texture and tone to the area, where the tone determines the nature and quantity of the plurality of strokes, generating the texture and the tone assigned in that portion of the illustration, and outputting the illustration.